Gyatso's Stand
by imperial queen
Summary: The airbenders didn't die without a fight. Gyatso puts up more fight than most, but there are some thing even he can't stand to watch.


**This is my first A:TLA fanfiction so please review.**

**I do not own The Last Airbender**

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Gyatso hoped Aang was alright. The airbenders of the Southern Air Temple were doomed, and they all knew it. It was just a case of how many firebenders they could take with them. Not a very peaceful thought, but the airbenders couldn't just give up. The Fire Nation had betrayed them and so, in addition to the power of the comet, they were going to win. Not that there had been much doubt on that. Airbenders weren't generally aggressive but the betrayal so soon after the loss of Aang, the Avatar, meant morale was low...

Aang was their only hope now and he had vanished...while many of the airbenders cursed Aang for leaving them in their hour of need, Gyatso and a minority of others realised that Aang needed to stay away from the Air Temples. If he knew, the Avatar might die and they could not afford that to happen.

More firebenders attacked and the airbenders were separated from each other. Orders were given to the Fire Nation soldiers, who closed in on the separated airbenders. The strikes became even more ferocious and Gyatso heard the cries of pain from his brothers and sisters. His fighting became fearsome as he fought for the only family he had ever known, knocking the firebenders back and off the mountain. He felt a feeling of satisfaction as the firebenders closed in on him, the greatest threat, as he continued knocking them away from him, towards the trap.

"Now!" he heard Pasang shout. Gyatso used his glider to get to safety just as the floor beneath him and the firebenders collapsed.

He landed on a ledge and watched as the soldiers were assaulted with gust after gust of air. Looking at the soldiers in the pit, he saw them talking to each other when they had time to gather their breath. It was a word here and there but it was enough and a signal was passed.

Gyatso made his way over to where Pasang and the other Senior Monks stood. "We can't survive forever. They're getting ready to counter-attack."

"I know. We cannot give up. We can't run away, Gyatso."

"Call it a tactical retreat. If we all get killed now what we tried to accomplish for Aang's sake will be in vain," Gyatso pointed out. Pasang nodded and the word was spread to retreat inside the temple just as a barrage of fireballs hit the balcony they were stood on.

Gyatso watched as his fellows were fell to the waiting soldiers and he watched as they burned. He was thrown to the floor by a sudden movement and watched as Pasang fell to the soldiers, leaving a trail of fire in his wake. Gyatso stared at his friend, stared as he watched him hacked and burnt to death by a mob of hungry soldiers. He watched as his friends, brothers and sisters burnt around him, and he could stand it no more. "Everyone who can still fight, get inside and form a defensive line. Get the wounded behind the line and find someone to heal them," he roared. The airbenders listened and retreated. Those who could not walk were carried and as the walking wounded stumbled through the doors, they slammed shut.

Inside was a frenzy of activity, with people shouting for assistance, watching as their friends died from burns or stab wounds. The airbenders couldn't get organised before their enemy broke down the doors. Gyatso knew this. He also knew that the airbenders were broken, their spirit's fled as they had been, and were being, forced to watch their friends die before their eyes. Gyatso knew there was no hope for these...children, he realised. Many of them had yet to earn their arrows, but they were defending their home with as much fervour as the most seasoned master.

Gyatso saw Iio organising them into a makeshift defence that wouldn't stand against the might of the Fire Nation army. He couldn't watch them get slaughtered like pigs...he wouldn't. He nodded at Iio as he passed. "I need some time," was all he said and she nodded.

He was stand on his own, as the Southern Air Temple's last defender.


End file.
